1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to data protection and more specifically to combining a user PIN with a unique, device-specific identifier.
2. Introduction
As more and more individuals and enterprises rely on smartphones and other mobile devices storing confidential or sensitive information, security is an increasing concern. Because such mobile devices are used as communication centers, they frequently contain sensitive information such as contact information, call logs, emails, pictures, and so forth, of high potential value and/or sensitivity. In certain applications, protecting this information is desirable. In some applications, encryption is used to protect sensitive information.
Encryption is the process of transforming a message into ciphertext that cannot be understood by unintended recipients. A message is encrypted with an encryption algorithm and encryption key. Decryption is the process of transforming ciphertext back to the message in a readable or understandable form.
In many cases, users select short personal identification numbers (PINs) or passwords which an attacker can easily compromise with a brute force attack running on a modestly powerful computer or group of computers. However, users are often reluctant to select a longer password because longer passwords are more difficult to remember, or users are unable to select a longer password because the system limits the password length. What is needed in the art is an improved approach for protecting content based on a user password.